Fatal Consequences
by Airealataiel
Summary: Finished! When James and Lily keep running into each other, they're bound to start getting along. That is, until some strange events twist things up.
1. A Boy and A Girl

My first attempt at a James/Lily fanfic. I've already done a songfic for them, but I thought this might be a little more challenging, and the idea just came to me. Please excuse any issues you might have with this.

* * *

She was his beauty, she was his passion, she was his arrogance. And, for the longest time, she was his goal. The things her beauty drove him to do were the things that earned him his title. Whatever he did to impress her only gained him disapproval. He tried so hard to do anything he could for her, and yet he could only succeed in driving himself into a more depressing state of existence; a state that made his friends roll with laughter every time he failed, miserably, again. He could only pretend that he was that much closer to success so as not to become upset with his ever-growing list of exhausted attempts.

She was Lily Evans. As a first year, she was immediately noticed for her brilliance. She was a bookworm, much like a large-toothed, bushy-haired brunette we know so well. Only this Lily Evans attended Hogwarts many years before our beloved Miss Granger.

Perhaps things would have all been completely different if she hadn't had her nose stuck in her book during her first breakfast at Hogwarts. Perhaps she would have seen a small, black haired boy glancing in her direction every few seconds, his hazel eyes darting back and forth behind smart looking glasses. And possibly she wouldn't have come to hate him for the obscene things he did, because if she had taken notice of him, maybe he wouldn't have had to make a prat of himself trying to get her attention.

Five years later, and he had grown considerably. His mousy hair, though still untamed, always had a windswept look, due to a love for Quidditch as well as an incessant habit of running his fingers through his hair. He was no longer small. On the contrary, his constant Quidditch training had toned his muscles. Also, as a result of being a growing teenager, he had sprouted several inches over the years. His glasses, which he had long since grown tired of, contradicted his entire personality.

Since the day James and Sirius met back in their first year, all of Hogwarts forgot what it was like to have a strict, smoothly running school. Day two and they had nearly gotten themselves expelled. They were the most sought-after boys in the entire school, and it probably had a lot to do with their good looks. Of course, any boy who knew he could get whatever he wanted was bound to have an overlarge head. And thus the reason for this story is finally revealed. What if there was something that this boy James, in all of his glory, could not get by just standing around looking good?

It was rumored so often that James Potter had dated every girl at Hogwarts save for Lily Evans that, after a while, people began to take it as fact. James and Sirius were, without argument, the best looking boys to walk the halls of Hogwarts during all the time that they schooled there. And so if it were rumored that you had dated James Potter, would you argue with that? Of course not. In fact, there was only one person who knew otherwise, and that would be James himself. And even he, sometimes, would forget the truth.

The truth, though, is something that few people wanted to hear. Who wanted to hear that James had had only enough girlfriends to count on his two hands, or maybe even a few less than that? Nobody. Even Sirius laughed when James had tried to convince him that he didn't snog any girl who passed by in between classes.

This was, inevitably, what led Lily Evans to despise James with every fiber of her being. She was disgusted with his seemingly insatiable need for sexual attention. She could not stand the way that his head had grown so overly large that he thought it necessary to bully every person he could for even their smallest faults, and that he found it hilarious to do so. Who could be so inhumanly awful? And why did he think he was so much better than everyone else? What right did he think he had to put people down? So what if he had a bit of talent on a broomstick and mild attractiveness!? Needless to say, Lily wanted nothing to do with him.

But James wanted everything to do with her.


	2. The School Year Begins

"James," Sirius said, flopping down on his best friend's four-poster bed in a dorm that they had shared for the last four years, "this is insane. What makes you think that she'll suddenly change her mind about you?"

James jumped onto the bed just inches away from Sirius' head, snorting with laughter as his best friend jolted upright and gave him a look of mock hatred. "Just because I can tell. This year is going to be different."

Now it was Sirius' turn to laugh, though maybe, James thought, it hadn't been all that necessary for Sirius to laugh so hard that he had fallen off the bed and began rolling on the floor, clutching his stomach, as he was doing at the moment. James jumped down lightly next to Sirius and punched him on the shoulder.

"Sorry mate," Sirius muttered after he stopped laughing. "It's just, you say that every year. It gets more funny every time." James scowled disapprovingly. Sirius socked him in the thigh and reached out, beckoning for James to help him up. Rolling his eyes, James held out his hand.

"Really, if you hadn't already gone out with every girl we know, you would have more choices left. You need to get your mind off Lily for a while," Sirius said more soberly. James opened his mouth to argue, but before he could get a word in, Sirius had picked up a pillow and tossed it at James' head, causing ten minutes of rough pillow fighting to follow.

Finally the two collapsed on James' bed side by side, staring at the deep red canopy above them.

"Really, mate, have you ever thought of dating anyone else?"

"Padfoot, if you saw her the way I saw her, you'd focus on nobody else…"

"Prongs," Sirius said, flinging his arm across James' stomach in a half-hearted punch-like action, "if I saw her like you did, we'd both be lovesick idiots, and there'd be no one to make sure we didn't do something entirely stupid."

James grinned. He could think of a million times when he had done something 'entirely stupid' in attempt to impress Lily, and every single memory involved Sirius standing some 100 meters away laughing hysterically. And yet, somehow, this was the best kind of support James could ever wish for.

* * *

Ta da! Chapter two complete. Sorry it was short. Just thought I'd set up the mood. Just so that everyone knows, they're in their 5th year at Hogwarts, and they have much in store for them.


	3. A Nighttime Stroll

"Three days into the school year, and already I am warning you of expulsion. I hope that this will not be a preview of the year to come," said Albus Dumbledore, peering over his half-moon glasses at the two boys in front of him. "Although I must say I would not be surprised if it was." He could not help but allow a smile to flit across his lips.

"Are you going to turn us over to Filch? You know how he would love to use those chains he has," Sirius stated almost eagerly, wandering around behind the Headmaster, attempting to get a glance at the papers he had on his desk. Sirius had made a bet with James that they would be order forms for large shipments of a Muggle candy called lemon drops, and that Dumbledore was planning on stocking the kitchens with them. James had immediately shaken on it.

"I'm afraid, not this evening, Mr. Black," Dumbledore grinned. Placing his fingertips together, he looked across the desk and winked at James; the papers vanished with a soft 'pft.' James had to suppress a girlish giggle at the crestfallen expression on Sirius' face. The seat next to him was quickly occupied, as Sirius had become bored and taken a seat.

"So, now you're going to 'impress upon us the seriousness of our actions', I suppose," James stated with a sweet grin.

Sirius followed with, "Are you going to tell our parents that we're very disturbed children that need to be locked up and punished almost brutally?"

"I'm sorry if that's what you were hoping for, but I barely see that as necessary. Now, I believe it's time for you two to get yourselves out of my hair-"

"Or rather your beard-" Sirius interrupted.

"And off to bed," Dumbledore finished, a bit more strongly, though with no less laughter in his voice.

* * *

"I told you!" James stated jubilantly as soon as they exited the office. "You owe me two Sickles. Go on then!"

Sirius mumbled a few inaudible phrases, grudgingly handing James the two silver coins. James looked them over as closely as he could in the moonlit halls but, seeming satisfied in the end, pocketed them and gave his friend a good-natured clap on the shoulder.

Suddenly Sirius stopped in mid-step, causing James to go stumbling a few steps too many, bumping into someone who, in the dark, he had not noticed. James could hear Sirius behind him trying extremely hard to stifle his laughter. His cheeks flushed, James stared at the feet of the person in front of him, his gaze continuing up and up until it met two very familiar piercing green eyes.

Startled, James jumped back at least a foot, trying to focus anywhere but on her face. On Lily's face. On the face of the girl he had fallen in love with so long ago.

"You should watch where you're walking, Mr. Potter," she spat irritably. "You do not own these halls, so you should be a bit more courteous."

James was speechless. Sirius was laughing quite audibly now.

"Mr. Black, do you wish to wake up the entire school? Stop your foolishness at once!"

Sirius managed to stifle his laughter, however adding, "Who put you in charge?" James whipped around, scowling at Sirius, as if daring him to get in the way of any chance James had of impressing Lily. Sirius smirked and quieted himself, now fiddling with something in his pocket.

Lily sighed, obviously very annoyed. "What are you two doing up at this hour, anyway? You know it's against the rules to be walking around the halls at night."

"I could ask you the same," James countered playfully.

"What kind of trouble have you two gotten yourselves into this time?" Lily asked, noticeably changing the subject.

"What gives you that idea?" Sirius asked, stepping forward.

Lily scowled. "You two are walking around in the middle of the night. Need I say more?" Sirius shrugged, but said nothing. "I suggest you two go back to your dorms before I have to report you. Unless, of course, it's your goal to see how much trouble you can get into in one night," Lily chided.

Sirius snickered, tugging on James' elbow, and the two made their way back to the dorms.


	4. The Beginning

"Where were you two last night?" Remus asked over breakfast the next morning.

"Do you really need to ask that?" James said. Sirius winked at Remus, who in return rolled his eyes.

"Have you even managed to glance at your schedules yet?"

"I thought you were going to do that for us." Sirius glanced over to catch the expression on Remus' face, which had, to Sirius' disappointment, not changed.

"I expect you'll be wanting me to do all of your homework for you as well?"

"Oh, of course not. How could we ask that of you?" James said more seriously, though Sirius could still detect a hint of mockery in it.

"Which is, of course, why you're just going to give us the answers and we'll write it ourselves," Sirius added. Remus sighed and resumed his consumption of the oatmeal in front of him. Sirius snickered, passing James a few pieces of toast.

James was just grabbing the toast when he noticed over Sirius' shoulder that Lily was entering the Hall. His hand went limp, causing the toast to fall into Sirius' goblet of orange juice, speckling his face with the bright orange liquid. Sirius' shout of outrage brought James back to the table.

"What do you think you're doing?" Sirius snapped. "That was a perfectly good piece of toast. There's no reason you had to go spoil it!" Sirius picked up the now soggy bread and took a bite. "Still good mate," he said, dropping the toast onto James' plate.

"I don't think that's what caused the distraction," Remus whispered, tapping Sirius on the shoulder. Sirius spun around and noticed that he was staring right at the medsection of a girl. Looking up, he noticed that the said girl just happened to be his best friend's love interest.

Sirius sputtered and spun around, grinning widely at James, who was blushing furiously across the table. Remus had to hide his face in his book to keep from bursting into laughter. Sirius, however, was making this quite challenging, as he was having more audible difficulty in such a task. And of course, James' priceless expression of shock and lust combined was most amusing.

Suddenly, from three seats down, Peter Pettigrew burst out laughing, tears rolling down his fat pink cheeks. James glanced down the table, scowling, and noted that Peter was laughing at a stupid joke that someone had just finished telling him. However, Sirius was already on edge, and this had pushed him over.

Sirius flung his face into the table, slamming either side of his plate with closed fists. His loud laughter ringing through the hall caused all other noises to stop, and James found every pair of eyes focusing on him. Humiliated, he let his face fall onto the table, right in his bowl of cereal. At this Sirius laughed harder, and Remus began to snicker.

Behind Sirius Lily muttered, "Pathetic. Every last one of them," and walked to the end of the table, where she sat down and politely ate her breakfast, with much more dignity than any of the boys she had just witnessed, who seemed to be having mental breakdowns.

After several minutes, Sirius was still howling, though the Hall had long since continued its regular morning rituals. Remus found this quite amusing, as he could not help but grin every time he glanced from Sirius' disheveled form to James' embarrassed expression.

"What did I do to deserve this?" James muttered darkly, glancing at the enchanted ceiling. Suddenly he wished he could be outside strolling the grounds, or perhaps having a nice, peaceful breakfast down by the lake where no one could bother him. After daydreaming about it for several moments, he got up and left without a word.

It could not possibly get any worse, James decided, as he strode down the hill to the lake. Every bit of anger, shame, disgust, propelled him further, until he was at the edge of the Forbidden Forest. He looked into its depths with a silent understanding. The Forest portrayed so much of the emotion that James was harboring at the moment. He wanted so badly to get lost in its depths, but just then the bell rang, signaling that he should be in his first period classroom already. With a sigh, he trudged back up to the castle, thankful that his first hour was not Potions.

His first hour was, however, Transfiguration, which was hardly any better when it came to punishment. Professor McGonagall had never gone any more easily on her own house's students than she had on any other. And it was this that James met when he entered the classroom.

"Mr. Potter, will you come up to the front please," she announced coldly when the bell rang, signaling the end of class. James received a sorry look from Sirius before he sauntered up to the teacher's desk, trying to look his most impressive. Some of his classmates laughed, others awed by his nerve. Peter was, of course, among the awed.

"Mr. Potter, will you please explain to me why you think you deserve special treatment?" McGonagall's lips formed a tight line, much like McGonagall and her strict personality itself.

James tried not to fall into his usual haughty routine of smugness as he answered her, "I don't know what you're implying, Professor. I was out and lost track of time." He watched as the professor sized him up, as if trying to find an obvious flaw. Such did not exist, however, and she sighed.

"You know that I will have to give you detention … again."

"Yes, Professor. When and where?" he asked with a dull sigh.

"Tomorrow night, eight o'clock, my office."

James thought maybe this would be a special treat, seeing as she wasn't telling him that he had to polish trophies. "What are you going to make me do?" he asked eagerly.

"I don't know yet," she answered, annoyed. "Since it is the first week of school, there isn't much that I can think of. But don't think you're getting off easy," she warned. James smirked and, with a wink, left the professor to prepare for her next class.

* * *

"Detention already, Potter?" James heard a familiar voice from behind him. He whipped around to see Lily briskly approaching him. He could not keep his hand from flying to his hair.

"I thought maybe since you'd become a Prefect you would have decided to set a better example," she said sternly. Casting her scrutinizing glance over him, she said coldly, "I guess not."

James smirked, letting his hand drop to his side. "Care of Magical Creatures next? Mind if I escort you?"

Lily scowled. "I do happen to mind, thank you." She continued her brisk walk, determined to get to her destination without paying James any more attention.

"Allow me," James offered, holding the giant door open for Lily. She walked past him, down the steps and onto the grounds without another word. James quickly ran to catch up with her, finally matching her pace.

"So, how have you been enjoying the new school year?" he asked with mock interest.

"I would be a whole lot more if you'd leave me alone," she said bitterly.

James ignored her comment. "Hogsmead will be coming up soon…"

"I'm not going with you, Potter," she said, a finality in her tone that would have stopped anyone, save for James.

"Why won't you give me a chance?" James asked, a hint of desperation in his voice.

Lily stopped mid-stride. James whirled around so that he was facing her a few feet away, making his extra steps appear intentional. "Why _should_ I give you a chance?"

James paused, thinking quickly but carefully. He always waited for her to ask this question, and it was most important that he answered correctly. "Because – I'm willing to change for you," James finished, saying this all very quickly.

For a moment James thought he saw a flicker of interest on the girl's face, but it was quickly covered with a disapproving frown. "Why don't you go waste your lies on someone else." She walked away, leaving James standing alone on the hill, turned down again. But this time he had a glint of triumph in his eyes.


	5. Detention

James could not help but think about Lily that evening, or especially the next, when he was on his way to McGonagall's office for his first detention of the year. Thinking back to his conversation with Sirius just ten minutes ago, he grinned.

_"James, how could you?" Sirius wailed, his eyes watering with mock tears. Sirius was good at making himself appear to be crying._

_"I'm sorry, Paddy, I didn't do it intentionally. I really did lose track of time."_

_"We _always_ have the first detention of the year together. What were you _thinking?"

_"Perhaps it was the absence of thought," Remus said from behind his book, a few feet away. Sirius sniffled. Peter looked over curiously. Sirius smacked Peter in the head. Peter grinned apologetically and turned back around, focusing on his Charms homework once again._

_"Proooooongs," Sirius wailed._

_"Calm down. I promise I won't cause any mischief. Strictly speaking, I'll treat it as a real punishment. Next time we can get in trouble together, and _then_ we can have fun. Okay?"_

_"Really?" Sirius looked up at James gratefully._

_"Really."_

_"Okay."_

James returned to the now, suddenly aware that he was much too close to McGonagall's office. He didn't want to get there early, and yet he thought maybe he should. For Sirius' sake.

James sped up a bit. As much as he wanted to keep his promise to Sirius, he couldn't help but think what kind of snooping around he could do before Professor McGonagall got into the room. He was nearly sprinting down the hallway and, not even thinking about the possibility that someone was in the room, slammed into a person who was standing in the doorway.

James' quick reflexes caused him to reach out and grab the robes of the person he had run into, preventing them from a most painful visit to the floor. His momentum, however, caused him to fly toward the floor at an alarming rate. The only thing he could do to prevent hurting his victim was to spin around, hoping that they would crash onto him instead of the marble floor.

Luckily for James, this person happened to be none other than Lily Evans. Lucky, for two reasons; one, it was Lily, and two, it was _not_ McGonagall.

Lily, shocked and confused, had to take several moments to calm down and assess what had just happened. During this time, James reached up, tucking a stray strand of her hair behind her ear.

He had never seen her like this before. He tried to take in her wild beauty in one glance. The effect was overpowering. Her cheeks were flushed and her eyes held a sort of excitement he had never seen before. Her hair was still fluttering about, and her breathing was quick. James could feel her body pressed against his …

But no! He knew he must tear away his gaze and pick her up before she realized what was happening. He had to make up for his mistake as best as possible. Sliding out from under her and standing up in one graceful motion, he took Lily by the waist and helped her to stand, then set her down in one of the seats.

From the moment he had turned the corner and crashed into Lily, all of these actions had taken only a few seconds. Finally, Lily's face reddened with embarrassment, which she tried to hide with an anger that James knew didn't really exist.

"JAMES POTTER!" she shrieked, "_What_ do you think you were doing!?"

James leaned against the desk she was sitting in and replied calmly, "You seem to be asking that question a lot, _Miss_ Evans."

Lily snorted and turned her head, her nose in the air. "I wouldn't ask it if I didn't need to," she said coolly.

Suddenly, James smirked. "Why are _you_ in detention?"

Lily jumped, suddenly letting the situation sink in. This wasn't supposed to happen! No! "Who said I was? What if I just had to ask Professor McGonagall something?" Her eyes were darting around the room, looking for an escape. James smiled, sitting on the desk now.

"I guess that explains the other night, then?"

"What are you talking about?" Lily demanded, glaring at James, as if trying to turn him to stone.

"When you caught me and Sirius out at night. But, now that I think of it, why were _you _wandering the halls at night, hmm?"

Lily could see this conversation going very terrible places. How did he know exactly what to ask, exactly how to pressure her? Wiping a strand of hair out of her eyes, Lily countered, "What if I was doing Prefect duty?" She knew it was lame. He'd catch her.

"I know better than you that only teachers patrol the halls at night." Yup, he caught her.

"Just leave me alone," she suddenly spat. Why had she even been talking to him in the first place? Wasn't she supposed to be angry with him for nearly killing her just a few moments ago?

"Whatever you say, Princess." There was a tone in James' voice that she didn't like. It was as if he had won some unspoken argument they had been having. She turned away from him, pouting, but watched him out of the corner of her eye. He had sauntered over to McGonagall's desk, sat down in her chair, and was just about to open one of the drawers when the professor walked in.

'Hmph, serves him right,' she thought.

"Mr. Potter! What are you doing?" McGonagall's voice rang out from the doorway, where she had momentarily paused. She was now making her way over to the raven-haired boy.

"Nothing, Professor," he said, giving the teacher an innocent grin, "I just thought maybe your chair would be a bit more comfortable than those old things," he finished, pointing out to the sea of desks that the students used.

"It most certainly is, and a well deserved luxury at that. Now scoot," she said, motioning for James to sit down in the front row. James stood up, bowed deeply, and took the seat next to Lily. Lily resisted the childish urge to get up and move; instead she scooted to the opposite edge of her chair. James laughed.

"Your duties will be to clean out my classroom. That includes scrubbing the floor, windows and cabinets and disinfecting the Transfiguration objects. Nothing in my office is to be touched."

Lily grinned, pulling out her wand. This would be a piece of cake. She could be back in her dorm in less than ten minutes.

James laughed, louder this time, and winked at McGonagall. "This your first detention, Evans?"

"Of course it is. I do not find rule breaking entertaining, unlike other people."

"Well then, I'd like to note," James continued while pushing up his sleeves, "that all detentions are meant as punishments. This means that cleaning, as well as everything else, is done the Muggle way."

Lily's face paled several shades. James grinned. He walked over to the sink and opened the cabinet under it. He pulled out a large white pail, some soapy stuff, and a few rags, one of which he tossed at Lily. James was surprised when she caught it.

"I'll be back in a few hours. I expect to find this room spotless, Mr. Potter."

"What?" Lily shrieked indignantly, "You're not leaving me in here alone with _him_?"

McGonagall smiled at James. "Please be a gentleman, Mr. Potter, or there may be fatal consequences."

"Fatal consequences indeed," James replied. He added with a grin, "Don't worry, I'll be most kind."

With that Professor McGonagall left the room. Lily stood petrified, unbelieving, at the door. James had already filled the bucket with soapy water, and was now kneeling in the middle of the room, a rag in hand, scrubbing the floor, humming a catchy little jingle. 

"Fatal consequences," he muttered to himself. Lily didn't hear him. "We'll see."


	6. Hogsmead

Lily had managed to avoid him for a week now, but every day it was becoming harder and harder. His once feeble attempts to impress her were catching up with her; after all these years, one night in detention could change all of … well, everything? She decided she would have to watch her back.

* * *

"Oh, come _on, _Prongs! You haven't told us _anything_ about it! Look at me! You have me reduced to begging. Best friends don't _do_ this to one another. Don't make me pout!" Sirius threatened, puckering his bottom lip. James laughed.

"You know, dear Padfoot, that if anything even mildly interesting had happened, I would have told you straight away." But Sirius was not stupid; he could see the glint in his friend's eyes.

"Pleeeeeeeeease!" Sirius suddenly leapt to his feet, then knelt next to James, took his hand, and began feverishly kissing it. James laughed, pulled his hand away, and shooed Sirius back to his seat.

"Come now, Paddy. It really wasn't that interesting. We shared a few words. She laughed, made a few jokes, talked to me a bit. That's all."

Sirius looked disgusted. "That's it? I've been following you around for a week practically groveling at your feet, trying to figure out why you've been smiling like a maniac, and that's _it?_"

James laughed deeply and patted his friend on the shoulder. "Ah, mate, can't looks be deceiving?"

Remus looked up from his dinner plate and glanced at James. "Did I just hear you make a literary statement?" he asked, sounding impressed.

James smiled. "Possibly." Sirius nearly fell out of his chair. Most occupants of the table, and some from the other house tables, stared at him in wonder. Only after Dumbledore cleared his throat did Sirius sit up more respectably, smiling rather sheepishly.

"I'd like to make an announcement." His voice echoed throughout the Great Hall, and yet, it was not too loud. Peter was impressed; he never seemed to get over the simple little things that were possible in this magical world he lived in. The rest of the Marauders found him quite annoying at times.

"As it is nearing the approach of October, I'd like to remind everyone that Halloween pranks, though they may provide entertainment, please be kept outside of the classrooms. Also, a list of the upcoming Hogsmead weekends will be posted tomorrow morning."

The Headmaster sat down, and the usual chattering continued.

"Did you hear that?" Sirius said excitedly to James and Remus, "Hogsmead. We can stock up for Halloween." Remus rolled his eyes.

"Didn't you hear him just say that we're not supposed to pull pranks in the classrooms?" he muttered, fully aware that Sirius would ignore him.

"You don't suppose we could get away with it, do you Prongs?" Sirius' manic grin was almost unnerving.

"Sorry boys, I have plans." Remus' head whipped around to James, who had a smug grin on his face.

"You're turning down a chance to go to Hogsmead?" Remus said in astonishment. Peter was suddenly quite interested.

"Ah…" Sirius said as the realization hit him. "So this is what Prongs has been up to."

"What? What?"

"Nothing, Peter, nothing." Peter looked away, no longer interested. But of course, he hadn't seen the knowing smile that had spread itself like butter across Sirius' lips.

* * *

"Where are you taking her?" Sirius asked as they climbed the stairs to the Gryffindor common room.

"Wouldn't you like to know," James said playfully, socking Sirius in the shoulder.

"Oh common Prongs. I promise I won't bother you. I'm just curious and all the likes.."

"Don't you try to fool me, dear old Padfoot. I know when you're up to something."

"Oh come on! I'm dying to know! You _gotta_ tell me!"

"I'm quite tired, aren't you?" James said as they reached the portrait hole to the common room. Sirius wailed. "Patience, my friend, is a virtue," James declared, earning him another odd look from Remus.

* * *

The second weekend in October turned out to be sunny and warm. James found himself gazing out the windows of his classroom during one particularly boring Transfiguration class, longing to be out in such weather. He had taken to the task of making pictures from the swirling leaves falling from the trees.

In one pattern he found himself lost. The brilliant red leaves took him away, and suddenly he and Lily were out on the grounds, spinning round and round, hands clasped, Lily squealing with delight. James felt his grin grow wider and wider. Finally, they collapsed to the ground in a heap of laughter, smiling broadly, leaning in for a kiss…

"Mr. Potter!" rang a shrill voice, cutting through his daydreaming. "What could possibly be so interesting that you find it necessary to ignore my lesson?"

James looked up to see Professor McGonagall, standing next to his desk now blocking his view out the window, peering at him over the rims of her glasses. Beside him Sirius was snickering like mad. Remus, behind Sirius, was throwing things at him, trying to make him stop laughing, and Peter, sitting next to Remus, had hidden his face in his arms.

Across the room, Lily was having a hard time concentrating. Though the room was quite noisy with everyone chatting and trying to transfigure their pillows into badgers, she couldn't help but glance over at James occasionally.

About the third time she looked over at him, she uttered a sigh of disbelief. Once again, it seemed, he had managed to get himself into trouble. Professor McGonagall was reprimanding him for some stupid act or another, but Lily couldn't hear what she was saying.

And, suddenly, Lily realized that James was probably heading for detention. At first she wasn't surprised, but then she realized that if he was assigned detention it would be tomorrow, and no matter how much she didn't want to admit it, she was somewhat looking forward to her trip to Hogsmead with James. She knew what she had to do.

James was trying to argue his way around a detention sentence, but with every passing second it seemed as though his weekend with Lily was doomed to failure. Professor McGonagall had just opened her mouth to speak the dreaded words when a loud shriek emanated from across the room.

Professor McGonagall looked up to see Lily and her partner struggling with a particularly vicious badger. James caught Lily's eye and she winked, and then went back to helping her partner get untangled from the claws of the evil badger. Sirius, Remus and Peter broke out laughing and James sat there, extremely content, a genuine smile plastered on his face. McGonagall never got a chance to tell James just what exactly she was going to do with him.

* * *

Lily awoke the next morning feeling anxious and a bit apprehensive. She brushed her hair, put on some perfume, and changed into a slightly more attractive outfit. For a moment while she stood in front of her mirror, she wondered why she was doing this.

Why had she agreed to go on a date with Potter? And why was she dressing up for him? Was it the particularly pleading look on his face that evening during their detention, or the sincerity of his voice, or was it just that she was going completely insane?

Once in the common room, Lily sat in a rather large chair by the fire, tapping her foot impatiently. She was too nervous to go down to breakfast with her friends, so instead she fixed her gaze on the flickering glow of the flames before her.

Finally James showed up, of course accompanied by his three closest friends and troublemakers, she noted. She knew that Remus really wouldn't pull all of those pranks if he hadn't been a friend with James and Sirius, but he still enjoyed some of them.

Lily watched as the Marauders made their way up the staircase to the boys' dorms. She became more and more jumpy. At last James emerged at the bottom of the staircase, dressed for the chilly weather. Lily wondered if she should have grabbed her cloak, but just then James sat down on the arm of her chair.

"Don't get too comfortable," Lily warned, standing up to face him. When she looked at him she noticed, for the first time, that she was at least four inches shorter than him. James didn't seem to take too much heed of this, which she was glad for. She didn't need him boasting about how she had to 'look up' to him.

At first there was an uncomfortable silence. Lily had, however self grudgingly, not made a fit about James linking arms with her, and she allowed him to open the door for her when they reached the Entrance Hall. He was treating her like a lady for once, Lily thought, and though she hoped she wouldn't have to, she knew she could use it as blackmail if the need should arise.

They had nearly reached the gates to leave the school grounds when James became aware of Lily's slight shivering. Turning to look at her, he stopped and let out a small laugh. Lily met his gaze, daring him to laugh at her again.

"What's so funny?" she asked, trying to sound polite, but she knew she was no good at hiding the scorn in her voice.

"You're shivering like mad," James stated. "I thought you were smart enough to bring something along," he added. "Here, have this." James took off his cloak and held it out to her.

"I don't need it," Lily said, trying to sound dignified.

"Don't be stupid," James said. Lily frowned. "You're cold. I can tell," he corrected himself.

Lily shook her head adamantly. "I don't need it." Her voice was even less convincing than the first time she had refused him. James chuckled and draped the cloak over her shoulders. As they carried on, he walked a bit behind her, rubbing her arms quickly to keep them warm. Lily could not help but smile.

"You know, you can be quite charming sometimes," Lily said.

_'Oh my GOSH! I did _not_ just say that out loud!' she suddenly thought to herself._

"And your head probably just inflated another two inches," Lily added.

James grinned. "Nah, just one inch." Lily punched him in the arm playfully. "So I s'pose you're going to want to go to Madam Puddifoot's or something?" James added, suddenly quite sullen.

"Now I know you probably think I'm quite dull, but I take that as an insult" Lily said. James opened his mouth, either to protest or to apologize, but Lily smiled. "I didn't know you even realized that place existed. But no, I'd prefer The Three Broomsticks, if you don't mind."

James sighed dramatically. Lily hadn't even noticed he'd been holding his breath. She also didn't realize that he had long since stopped rubbing her arms and now had his arm around her waist. When she did notice, she teasingly wiggled out of his grasp and ran ahead a couple of paces, then slowed down and waited for him to catch up. 

She had been completely surprised when James crept up behind her without a sound and swept her off her feet. She was in his arms and they were swirling round and round, the leaves cascading on and around them, just like in James' daydream. Lily squealed with delight, but finally James put her down. Without saying a word, she took his hand and they entered the pub together.

* * *

"Butterbeer really warms a person up," Lily said from across the table. She had quickly shed James' thick winter cloak.

"Yea," James said absentmindedly, "yea it does."

Lily looked at him. He seemed to have gone all peculiar-like suddenly, and she was attempting to make out what his problem was. "Is something wrong?" she asked, sounding more concerned than she should have.

"No, nothing," he said, looking up from his drink to catch her eye. He smiled, and Lily gulped, knowing that she was blushing a bit too much for her own good.

_'How can I be attracted to him like this?' she thought to herself. 'It can't lead me to anyplace that is worth being…'_

She glanced up again, and James was staring into his drink, as if enchanted by the swirls it was making. Never in his life had he been short of words. He had always had something to say. Lily even said herself that he was charming.

_'So why isn't anything coming to me?' James thought._

But he could not fool himself; he knew exactly why. He had waited all of his life for this moment, and he knew that he could not screw it up.

"…James?"

Somewhere in the distance, he sensed that someone was trying to talk to him.

"James? James, did you hear me at all?" Lily asked. James noticed a familiar tone of annoyance in her voice.

"Sorry, I was just thinking …" he said lamely.

"Yea, it must be so great," Lily spat, suddenly angry, "being able to have any girl you want. You can just pick any one you want from the queue, and when you get sick of her you can throw her away like old garbage and get a new one. Real moralistic."

James was trying hard not to gape like an idiot. He definitely did not like the way things were going.

"How much money did you bet your friends that you could get me, too? Hmm! How much?" Lily was fuming. She was breathing hard and fast; she couldn't remember when she'd felt so hurt.

"Well I'm certainly not going to put up with you. This date is over, Mr. Potter." Lily slammed a few coins on the table for her drink, thrust James' cloak at him, and stormed out of the pub, the bell on the door jingling at her. After a few moments everyone stopped staring at the boy and resumed their conversations.

James stood up slowly, shoved his hands deep into his pockets, and wandered back towards the castle, wishing that he could somehow start the whole day over again. But he could do no such thing.


	7. A Secret Conversation

"Stop moping," Sirius complained after having spent two hours watching James lie completely still on his bed, staring at the ceiling. "Let's just go _do_ something."

"Tell me how that goes when you get back," James said sarcastically. Sirius sighed and sat down near James' head.

"I'm not going without you, and I'm not going to let you sit here and cry yourself crazy."

"Do you see any tears?" James spat. Sirius recoiled. "Sorry Paddy, I didn't mean to be harsh. It's just that- "

"It's just that this is all getting to your head, that's what! You need sunlight, fresh air, _fun_! Come on. We can grab our broomsticks and go up in the mountains for a while."

James lay still, contemplating the suggestion. Finally he sat up and nodded to Sirius. "You're right," he said. "It's no big deal. She's not even that important anyway." Sirius knew that he was lying, but if James had to lie to himself for a bit of fun, Sirius decided he'd allow it.

Less than twenty minutes later two teenage boys were gliding over the Hogwarts lake and toward the mountains on broomsticks, their hair whipping around their faces. They landed some hundred feet from the edge of the Forbidden Forest and James flopped himself on the grass. Sirius quickly joined him and they stared up at the clouds in silence for a few minutes.

"What are you thinking about?" Sirius asked, glancing over at his best friend curiously.

A slight grin spread across James' face. Slowly turning to Sirius, he leaned in close and whispered, "What it would be like to kiss you!"

Sirius quickly recoiled and jumped to his feet, his eyes wide and his face pale. James was still on the ground, rolling with laugher, tears gathering at the corners of his eyes. Sirius wandered over to a rock and sat there scowling.

"Oh come on Paddy," James said when he had calmed down.

"That wasn't funny," Sirius pouted. James laughed again and gave his friend a playful punch on the shoulder.

"Let's go in the Forest!" James suggested. Sirius' eyes lit up and he quickly grabbed his broom and strode off to the trees.

"Do you think we'll see anything?" he asked eagerly.

"I don't know, maybe we'll find some more of that funny moss we were going to use to make those homemade dung bombs."

James followed closely behind Sirius, gazing at random trees. Once he thought he might have spotted a unicorn, but as soon as he had seen it, it was gone again. Another instant, when he was too busy staring at a couple of ominous looking crows in a high tree branch, he tripped on a rather large root and was sent sprawling over the forest floor, cursing quite more than necessary. Sirius turned around to see what the commotion was about and helped James off the ground, but couldn't help from laughing as he helped brush James off.

They soon came to a clearing and were about to walk into the middle of it when James spotted two people sitting on the ground. Sirius nearly ran right into James' arm as he thrust it out to stop him from going any further. They edged back into the shadows and made their way closer to where the two people were.

"So how was the trip to Hogsmead?" A girl's voice, heavy with sarcasm, drifted to their ears. Coming into a better view, James noticed that one was a Gryffindor in his year by the name of Madelyn. He almost gasped audibly when Sirius pointed to the other; the very familiar redheaded girl of his dreams.

"Evans? What's she doing here?" James whispered. Sirius shrugged. One of the girls mumbled something that they couldn't hear.

"Let's go closer," James whispered, but had not taken more than two steps when he heard a loud crack from behind him. He whipped around to find Sirius staring wide-eyed at his foot, where he had stepped on a dead branch. James quickly whisked Sirius into the shadows as the girls sat silent, staring around to try to find the source of the sound. Finally they relaxed again, and James brought a finger to his lips.

"Well it was okay at first," she said, trailing off. Sirius was leaning closer and closer to them with mounting interest. "He was being really sweet, but then he had to go and get all, oh I don't know, James on me."

At this point Sirius elbowed James in the side, trying his best to stifle his laugher at the same time. James frowned and pointed at the ground in warning. He was becoming engrossed.

"And…?"

"And I sort of .. left him there," Lily added, averting her eyes.

"Lily! How could you do that?!" the girl named Madelyn screeched, suspiciously anxious.

"He was ignoring me-"

"Can't you just hold out a little longer?"

"Well…"

"Ooooh … you're afraid that you'll fall in love!"

"Am not!" Lily shouted, a bit too loudly. Madelyn snickered.

"Whatever … just give him another chance, okay? It only has to last a little while …"

"Yea, yea I know …" Lily trailed off, becoming more interested in something else she was thinking about, and the girls grew silent. James took this as his cue to urge Sirius out of the forest.

"Did you hear that Prongs? She's gonna give you another chance." Sirius was ecstatic, as if he knew that this was going to make things much easier for him and James both.

"Meh, I'm not so sure …" James still seemed sulky.

"What's the deal?" Sirius asked.

"It's only because her friend talked her into it, for what reason only God knows…" James kicked at a spot on the ground and sat down on a large boulder.

"Oh you're so hard to please sometimes," Sirius complained, getting on his broom and hovering a few feet over James' shoulder.

"Well what if she's just doing it to get attention…other guys' attention…" James trailed off.

"Come on now, James. You're being unreasonable." Sirius seemed very unconvinced.

"Well …"

"Look, James, if that's what you think it is, then just make her only see you. Make her not care about other guys. Make her realize that she only wants your attention. Whaddaya say, hmm?" Sirius had such a pleading look in his eyes that James had to eye him suspiciously.

"Yes, yea you're right Padfoot," James said at last, and, hopping back on his broomstick, the two made their way back to the school.

* * *

The next morning's breakfast showed a glimpse of the awkwardness that the day would later prove to withhold.

"Good morning, Miss Evans," James said cheerfully as he seated himself across from her. Lily cringed visibly and glanced around to see if anyone was watching them. Luckily it was still rather early, on a Sunday morning no less, so few people were awake yet. She noticed James staring at her strangely.

"Er, yes, good morning James." He smiled and leaned back more casually, bringing his goblet to his lips in a very exaggerated motion. Lily sufficed a small giggle, which encouraged James to spend the next three minutes trying to eat with the almost vigorous fashion that of a pirate. She had to admit that he could be quite entertaining.

"Ar, what's a pretty lass like yer'self do'in on a fine day like this?" James asked in his best pirate-accent. Lily giggled.

"If you're asking me on another date, I should expect it to be better than the last."

James opened his mouth for another pirate-like reply, closed it, then spoke normally, "I'm sorry Lily, I didn't mean to ignore you…"

"And I'm sorry for yelling at you. I guess it wasn't that big of a deal," she added, blushing a little and staring at her plate. An uncomfortable silence followed.

"How about a nice walk down to the lake, then?"

"Oh but James, it's awfully cold outside, and what about the decorating for the Halloween ball?"

"Ah yes, that dreaded thing," he said, purposely over-dramatic, and with a tinge of that pirate accent of his. Lily smirked.

"As a prefect, it's part of your duty to help out with this, I hope you know."

"Of course. That's why my second option was going to be staying in the castle and decorating the hall together. What do you say?" James was grinning mischievously.

"I suppose I couldn't refuse," Lily replied, gaining a nearly-genuine smile.

"I'll see you later then," James said, and removing himself from the table, he bowed playfully to Lily across the table and whisked himself away.

"This is going to be interesting," Lily muttered quietly.


	8. Letters

Lily had already been working on the Great Hall for over an hour when James showed up, wearing a "well-what-did-you-expect?" grin.

"Did you miss me?" he said as he came up behind Lily. Wrapping his arms around her waist, he began to tickle her. Lily squeaked in surprise and giggled loudly, gaining herself disapproving looks from other prefects.

"Ja-mes," she whined, but suddenly she realized, as she turned around, that he was nowhere in sight.

"James!" she whispered, peeking under a table. "We're supposed to be working!" She began searching under the tables and behind other people, but she couldn't find him anywhere. "James," she laughed, "come out!"

Lily whipped around and nearly screamed when she found herself face to face with Madelyn.

"You scared me half to death!" she breathed.

Madelyn shrugged this off and a giant grin spread across her face. "I've asked Remus to the ball," she said. "Our plans our going so well! In a few hours we'll both be happy."

Lily opened her mouth to say something when she felt two arms snaking around her waist. She jumped, then breathed a small sigh of relief.

"Oh…James, heh….there you are," she said nervously.

"What's goin' on Lils?" James asked. Lily raised her eyebrows at James and watched as Madelyn turned momentarily starch white, but quickly regained her color.

"Oh, I was just telling Lily how lovely this ball is going to be and how tragic it is that I won't have a date," Madelyn said through clenched teeth.

James looked down at Lily, then back up at Madelyn. "Terrible," he agreed, in what he hoped was his most sincere of all voices.

"I'll see you later Lily," Madelyn muttered, and she turned and left the hall.

Lily ducked out of James' grasp and walked over to one of the many small round tables that had replaced the house tables. With a flick of her wand, an orange tablecloth appeared.

"What's wrong Lils?" James asked. Lily scowled.

"Stop calling me that."

"Only if you tell me why," James replied, taking a step toward her.

Suddenly Lily was feeling very claustrophobic. She took a step away and made a black tablecloth appear on a different table. "My grandfather used to call me that," she said bitterly.

"So…"

"So," she spat, "he passed away last summer."

"Oh Lils," James cringed and corrected himself. "Lily. I'm very sorry."

"I'm sure you are," she hissed, moving on to another table she conjured a tablecloth, her movements becoming more exaggerated and violent. "You have everything you want."

"No…" James trailed, "not nearly everything."

Lily whipped around and found herself nose to nose with James. Choosing to ignore this she hissed, "Oh yea, like what? You don't come from a bad family-"

"Neither do you-"

"You have great friends-"

"Not like you don't-"

"Everyone loves you-"

"You don't."

"I-" but Lily stopped and dropped her gaze to her feet.

"You…?"

"I'm sorry James, but I have to go," she said. She took a few steps and summoned her backpack without turning around.

"Lily?"

"I'll see you later James."

"Lily…" he whispered to himself as the hall doors slammed behind her. "What did I do wrong this time?"

* * *

Lily flopped onto her four-poster, feeling about as terrible as she ever had. She didn't understand why she could never control her outbursts. Lily rolled over and stared at a picture on her nightstand. Madelyn had her arm around Lily's shoulders, and they were laughing hysterically at something, though she could no longer remember what it was. Ironically, she thought, they had gone on a cruise together on a ship called "St. James." She could remember most of the trip quite clearly.

They were eleven years old and it was the summer after they had discovered the magnificence of Hogwarts. They had finally convinced their parents to let them go on the cruise alone and loved every minute of freedom.

"This is wonderful," Madelyn had said while sprawling out on a sunning chair on the deck. "We'll have flawless tans to go back to school with, and James will positively gape when he sees me."

She had wandered into some daydream when Lily said, "Who's that?"

"Who's who, Lily?"

"Who's this James?" Lily asked, her interest mounting. Could she finally get Madelyn to confess whom she liked? Lily had never been able to do so before.

"James!" Madelyn pronounced with a squeak, sitting bolt upright and staring at her friend in disbelief. "James Potter. Gorgeous! Black black black hair, hazel eyes to make you melt, and the smile of a God. And he's best friends with Sirius Black, another candy for the eyes, let me tell you-"

Madelyn took a breath to continue rambling and Lily seized her chance to get a word in. "Oh, you mean that messy boy who's always getting into trouble? He seems like a bit of a prat if you ask me. And that friend of his, Remus, is quite intriguing. I've talked to him before, and he's very intelligent. He'll only be dragged down by the people he hangs around with."

"Oh Lily, stop fussing. This is our vacation. Just relax." And Madelyn said no more. Lily suspected that she had gone into another daydream about this James Potter.

Lily leaned back onto her bed and stared at the canopy. She couldn't recall when things had become so complicated. At first it was easy to ignore James; she would only have to endure Madelyn's screeching occasionally as she pointed him out. Lily would nod and roll her eyes.

But then she noticed that James seemed to be around … a lot. He was becoming more and more known by every week, and by the time they were halfway through their second year, it was rumored that he had dated half of the girls in their year. Everybody knew who he was. Lily found this more obnoxious than attractive, while Madelyn was going all goggle-eyed every time he came around.

Which, inconveniently, seemed to be all of the time. Lily would spot James everywhere she went, whether she was with Madelyn or not. And by the time they had graduated from their second year, he had asked her out no less than thirty times. She wondered if she should tell Madelyn about this, and decided not to until she found out for herself.

Madelyn did find out, though, early on in their third year. Lily recalled wondering if her and Madelyn would ever speak again after the rows they went through, but finally Madelyn pulled through after Lily had argued, "But I've always said no to him!"

Lily never noticed how much she talked about Remus until in her third year, when Madelyn brought up that she thought Lily fancied him. Lily blushed and said no way; just because he was smart, sweet, sensible and rather good looking did not mean that she fancied him. Of course Madelyn thought that it probably did, but she watched Lily flounder painfully every time the two came across the subject of their love lives. Lily never had the courage to ask Remus out.

Lily was glaring at the ceiling when Madelyn walked into the dorm. "Come on Lils, it's six o'clock. Time to write the letters and get ready for the ball."

Lily groaned and swung her legs over the side of the bed. "Can't you do it?" she muttered.

"You know I would, but I'm sure James has memorized your handwriting by now. After all, he has liked you for the past five years; he had to have done some things while you were being naïve." Madelyn had only a tinge of bitterness in her voice. Lily figured that there would have been much more there if they weren't about to do something totally ridiculous.

"I'll read mine to you. I finished it last night," Madelyn exclaimed. Lily sat down at her desk and motioned to Madelyn to read.

"_Dear Remus,_

_I'm sorry to say that I can't attend the ball with you tonight, but Lily would be glad to go in my place. She's fancied you since third year, you know. It would be a pleasant surprise if you took her instead. Meet her in the Transfiguration classroom at a quarter to eight, dressed for the ball._

_Always,_

_Madelyn _"

"What do you think?"

"I think it's very convincing," Lily replied. "Now why don't you go take a shower while I write mine?"

"Good idea." And she bounced off to the bathroom. Lily sighed and laid her head on the desk. A few minutes later she picked it up and got out a parchment and quill.

_Dear James,_

_Please meet me in the Transfiguration classroom at eight o'clock. Be ready for the ball. I'll explain later._

_Forever,_

Lily 

Lily sat there for several minutes before she folded up the parchment and called her owl over. "Give this to James," she said, tying the rolled-up note to it's leg. The owl took off, and she did the same with Madelyn's letter, giving it to Madelyn's owl.

She was alone now. She quickly gathered her things and ran to the Prefects' bathroom. Locking the door behind her, she knelt down and turned on the faucets of the swimming pool-sized tub. She organized her make-up on the counter by the sink, her shampoo, conditioner and towel next to the bathtub, and her dress hanging on the wall.

She took as long as she thought she could afford just enjoying her bath, and she tried not to think about what was soon going to happen. She climbed out and wrapped her towel around her, wandering toward the mirror to get dressed up.

* * *

Remus stood waiting in the Transfiguration room. Lily was already ten minutes late, and he began to wonder if this was just some joke. He could see why Madelyn would be ashamed to go with him, but he wondered how Lily was involved. He had always been rather sure that they were friends, and he couldn't understand why she would want to hurt him. Besides her attitude toward James, she had always seemed like a rather nice girl.

Remus was just about to give up when Lily walked into the room. She left the lights off, as Madelyn had instructed, as she would be hiding in the shadows to see how it went and make sure that Lily didn't chicken out.

"I'm sorry I'm late," Lily said a little frantically. She glanced around as if searching for the clock. She had been hoping for more time to explain the situation.

"It's alright," Remus said. Tentatively placing his hands on her waist, he tried to comfort her. Lily jumped in surprise and Remus quickly pulled his hands away, letting them dangle awkwardly at his side.

"I'm sorry Remus. I was just surprised. You see this isn't how it's-" Lily tried to explain, but Madelyn heard footsteps in the corridor outside. Quickly she pushed Lily in the small of the back, sending Lily stumbling into Remus' arms.

At that precise moment James turned the corner and spotted Remus holding Lily gingerly. Lily had her back to the door, but by the way Remus tensed under her, she could tell that only one thing could have possibly happened.

Lily broke out of Remus' arms and turned to James. She just opened her mouth when Madelyn burst out of the shadows and put her arm around James' waist.

"Oh James, I was just as shocked," she cooed.

James turned his head around to face them as Madelyn ushered him away, but he did not look at Lily; instead he stared directly into Remus' eyes with the most pained look Lily had ever seen, and instantly she felt her heart breaking. Finally he turned back around, and Madelyn then turned to shoot Lily a malicious grin before disappearing from sight.


	9. The Ball

As Lily allowed Remus to steer her to the Great Hall, she wondered if what she was doing was right. She never really wanted to hurt James, and she didn't know that this was going to hurt herself as well; not until it was too late.

"Madelyn was just using me," she thought bitterly.

Remus stopped Lily and looked into her eyes. He had a playful grin on his face, but when he spoke his tone was serious. "You're a brave girl," he said, "and it will all be over soon anyway."

Lily nodded, then she snapped into action; she had an idea. Without warning she grabbed Remus's wrist and ran as fast as she could in heels, pulling the sandy-haired boy behind her.

"What's the idea?" Remus shouted. "Trying to get yourself killed?" He imagined her falling down a flight of marble stairs because of her heels.

"I'm going to fix this," she shouted over the clatter of their feet. "It never should have happened."

* * *

James was looking around the hall, trying to ignore the stares he was getting. Everyone had known perfectly well that James had been dating Lily … so why was Madelyn now attached to his arm as if her life depended on it? Nobody could fathom any real explanation and had long since given up trying to do so in order to enjoy themselves.

Madelyn had just left to get some refreshments when Lily burst in to the hall with Remus in tow. No one seemed to notice them except James, and she was headed straight for him.

"Evans," he said coldly when she stopped in front of him.

"James-" she started, but he cut her off.

"It's Potter to you, and there's no need for explanation. Do you think I'm stupid? I heard you and your friend in the forest. You've been planning it all along!"

"James…."

"Lily!" Sirius said gaily, slipping his arm around her waist. Right on cue, Remus's date, Candice, approached and grasped his hand. "_Don't_ you think it's a lovely night? _Tell_ James it's a lovely night. _James_, can't you see how lovely it is?" Sirius said while looking at Lily. Remus laughed as her eyes widened with understanding.

"Gorgeous," James muttered sarcastically, "though I'm not sure I'm fortunate enough to be able to appreciate its beauty this evening."

"What a shame," Sirius said as a slower song started. "Lily, why don't we dance." He offered her his hand and pulled her onto the dance floor, Remus and Candice following.

James was rooted to the spot, now glaring at Sirius. How could his best friends just trade his girlfriend around like she was nothing but a toy to be stolen? James noted that Sirius was holding Lily all wrong. Their movements weren't as fluid as Lily's usual grace would make them, and she didn't fit right into his arms. This made James grin slightly. She was built for him, not Sirius or Remus or anyone else.

* * *

"Sirius," Lily whined worriedly as he spun her once.

"Oh, just a bit longer," he pleaded.

"Fine," she muttered, "but not too long." Sirius simply nodded.

After the song, Sirius guided them over to the table that James had picked. The four of them sat down and there was a moment of uncomfortable silence.

"Is anyone besides me going home for the Christmas holidays tomorrow?" Candice asked at last.

"I have nowhere to go," Remus stated.

"You could come to my house," Candice offered. "My parents would love to meet you."

Lily moved her gaze to James now, who had been leaning on his hand. She stood up and walked to him as Remus and Candice chattered, reaching down gently to straighten his glasses. James looked up curiously and Lily shot him a weak smile.

"Shall I get us anything?" she asked.

A voice from behind Lily answered her. "There's no need to. I've already got that covered." It was Madelyn with an armful of drinks. She handed one to everyone … except Lily. "Whoops, guess I forgot yours," she said as she took the seat next to James.

Lily glared at the back of her ex-best friend's head, imagining that she had laser vision to burn a hole through it. "I'll be right back," she managed through clenched teeth, then stormed off to find a drink. James watched her go in a state of confusion.

* * *

Lily drank her punch at the snack table and was wandering back over to the Marauders and their dates when James came from behind her and slipped a hand into hers. She jumped, but this only caused James to hold to her to tighter. Lily let her eyes travel up to James's face; he wore such a hurt expression, and was there fear there as well?

Another slow song started and James took the chance to whisk Lily out onto the floor. "Lily, what's going on here?" he asked with a disappointed frown.

"I never meant to hurt you," she whispered as her voice cracked. She buried her head in the curve of his shoulder.

"I love you Lily," James whispered into her hair. "Don't you see that? I love you, and I couldn't bear to lose you," he said, while tightening his grip on her waist.

For a moment that seemed like an eternity, Lily clung to James and his words. And she loved him too, didn't she? She pulled back and looked James deep in the eyes, ready to confess and get it over with. Her heart was beating far too fast to be healthy, and she shook so terribly that she had to hold his arms for support.

Lily opened her mouth to respond, and James could see her little white teeth in a perfect row. He longed to kiss her satin lips, but he wanted … too long. The next thing he knew Madelyn was in her place and he was watching as Sirius dragged Lily away. James sighed in defeat and allowed Madelyn to guide them around the floor. But he kept stealing glances at Lily, who was speaking to Sirius in whispers.

* * *

Lily suddenly felt very much like a pawn. She was getting dragged around all over the place and no one would let her have her way. She wished she had never gotten into this whole thing with Sirius. Who had ever heard of a plan where so much could go wrong?

After the song, James stormed up and pushed Sirius against the wall. Remus and Candice were at the scene within moments, and Madelyn soon after that. Lily quivered at Sirius's side.

"What's the idea?" he said through clenched teeth, grasping his best friend's robes. He was ready to snap when Remus stepped forward.

"How do you feel about pranking tonight?" he asked nervously.

"Pranking?" he spat, turning to his werewolf friend.

"You _are_ the King of Pranks…."

"And all kings need a queen," Sirius added. "What do you say to a Queen of Pranks?"

James looked at Sirius inquiringly. "And who might that be?" he asked bitterly. "Who is good enough to call herself the 'Queen'?"

Sirius coughed and nodded in Lily's direction. "One who has pulled a prank on the King himself, of course."

James dropped Sirius and looked at Lily carefully. "But when has she pranked me?" he asked, but Lily's solemn frown was quickly spreading into a large grin, and Remus and Sirius w ere both laughing now. James shook his head and closed the distance between him and Lily. Wrapping his arms around her waist, he looked over to Sirius, who wore a large grin, and Remus, whose laugh hung on his lips.

"Hey guys," he chuckled, "looks like we've got a she-Marauder."

"A Marauderette!" Sirius claimed joyously.

Madelyn scowled and stomped over to Lily, who was leaning against James's chest very comfortably. "What about our plan?"

"A ploy," Lily stated.

"The letters?"

"Why do you think they were my idea?"

"But Remus…"

"And I have always been just friends."

"But I asked him to the ball and he said yes."

"You think he wasn't in on it?"

"But our talk … in the forest … you didn't want to keep going out with James …"

"A set up, thanks to Sirius."

"But you and James fought…"

"Another trick."

"But-"

"It was all part of the joke, Maddie. And you would have used me if it wasn't." She looked up at James, then. "Good thing I'm smarter than that, hmm?"

James laughed and kissed Lily's cheek. She blushed and looked back at Madelyn, who was glaring angrily. "Finders keepers," Lily said, "and I don't think we can be friends anymore."

Madelyn crossed her arms and walked away. Candice followed to calm her and hopefully make her see more rationally.

James stared into Lily's dazzling eyes … his Lily. And she stared back into his honey orbs, as sweet as his touch. She could see hundreds of thousands of good memories in their future, as well as some bad ones too, but all that mattered is that they'd always be together.

James pulled Lily close. "Do you love me?" he asked solemnly. Lily held James's collar and stood tiptoe to press her lips upon his. Pulling away she said, "I do."

* * *

**Epilogue** (sort of) 

Lily claimed it was an accident, James claimed it was his persistence, but they both knew it had been fate. And everybody else knew it too. Still, people often asked how they had fallen in love.

"A common interest," Lily would say politely, and James would add, "with fatal consequences."


End file.
